Atlanta

Experiencing live sport will form a key part of the Summit, including:

• NBA
• MLS
• MLB
• and much more!

Details of the live sport scheduled to be included in the 2022 Summit will be released closer to the date of the event. 

• Elite sports teams and franchises;
• Stadium and venue staff;
• Sports club owners and management groups;
• Sports agencies;
• Sports media and broadcasters;
• Former and current players, managers and coaches.

Speakers from the 2020 and 2021 Summits included senior leaders from: 

• Atlanta United FC
• Atlanta United Foundation
• Atlanta Hawks (NBA)
• Atlanta Braves (MLB)
• Atlanta Falcons (NFL)
• And many more! 

Details of the guest speakers for the 2022 Summit will be communicated closer to the time of the event. 

Getting behind the scenes of key sporting organisations will form a key part of the Summit. This will include tours of stadiums and training facilities and meeting key staff. 

A number of optional city experiences will be arranged as part of the trip to showcase the best that Atlanta has to offer.

Networking with key players in the sports industry will form a central part of the GIS Atlanta Sports Summit. There will be opportunities to meet with senior leaders and decision makers from major sports organisations, providing an excellent chance for attendees to build connections and build their personal brand whilst learning about the local sports market.

• Accommodation;
• Access to some live sport experiences
• Internal coach journeys to summit activities, where appropriate

What’s not included?

• Flights;
• Food and drink;
• General spending money;
• Optional group city activities;
• Optional live sport experiences;

Costs for the next GIS Atlanta Global Sports Summit will be communicated to all students and alumni closer to the time of the event. 

GIS will advise and recommend on how best to travel to the next GIS Atlanta Global Sports Summit closer to the time of the event once details have been confirmed.

Once further details of the next GIS Atlanta Global Sports Summit are confirmed, we will advise students and alumni of estimated costs associated with attending the event.

Home to civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Atlanta is the capital of Georgia state and remains a vital interstate for road and rail in the US, not to mention Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, which is one of the busiest in the world. Despite having a relatively small population of 500,000, Atlanta’s place in modern US life remains as important as it did in the 19th century, when it was captured by Unionists during the American Civil War. Atlanta can also claim to be the home of Coca Cola – in 1886 pharmacist Dr. John S. Pemberton created the soft drink that went on to conquer the world.

The World of Coca Cola allows visitors to find out more about Pemberton’s creation, as well as find out more about the secret recipe and see legendary artefacts from the history of the bestselling drink in the world – don’t forget your souvenir! When you’re finished learning about Coca Cola, walk over the road to the Centennial Olympic Park, built to celebrate the city hosting the 1996 Olympic Games, to relax, explore and splash around in the Fountain of Rings. Finally, for those who get their thrills hanging upside down, Six Flags has two parks in Atlanta to help you relax away from lectures and studying.

Home to the world’s most forward-thinking and spectacular stadium? Check. Home of the MLS Cup champions? Check. Scene of one of the most memorable moments in Olympic history? Check. The sporting pedigree of Atlanta, nestled in the southern US state of Georgia, is unquestionable. Away from the bright lights of New York, LA and Miami, Atlanta is a modern city determined to make its mark on the world’s sporting map.

Find out more about sport in Atlanta

You’re in the south now, it’s all about barbecue and fried chicken… and lots of it. If you want barbeque, the smoked wings at Fox Bros and BBQ pork at Heirloom Market are a pretty decent place to start. Fried chicken exists on almost every street corner, but The Busy Bee Café and Mary Mac’s keep the locals happy. A special mention must be given to the overlooked peach. With Atlanta being in Georgia, peaches are a rite of passage here, so if you see peaches on the menu just order them however they come. Trust us.

GIS's global study hubs will each host one Global Sports Summit at each hub this academic year, providing attendees with a packed schedule of industry insight, professional development and networking opportunities. They will feature guests from renowned sporting organisations, locally tailored to each global study hub, allowing attendees to learn best practice and understand how sport is managed within each country. Each Global Sports Summit will provide guests grouped into three categories: from the boardroom, from the industry and from the pitch, allowing students and alumni the opportunity to truly understand all aspects of sport. 

Click here for further information on the GIS Global Sports Summits that are planned for this academic year. 

UCFB believes strongly in the benefits of students and alumni attending GIS Global Sports Summit, however we recognise that this comes at a cost to the individual. As a result, we have developed UCFB’s Global Insight Series, a portal of content regularly updated, featuring thought leadership, Q&As and career advice from UK campus guest speakers as well as from all of our global hub partners.

Yes! All current students and alumni will be able to attend a Global Sports Summit at a GIS global hub.

No. Places are only available for current UCFB and GIS students as well as all alumni.

Yes! Places are limited at every Summit, however there is nothing stopping you applying to attend more than one event.

GIS’s global hubs will provide current students and alumni the opportunity to attend Global Sports Summits, based at some of the world’s leading stadiums. GIS’s global hubs are based at New York's Red Bull Arena, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Toronto FC's BMO Field, the Inter Miami CF Stadium and the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

UCFB and GIS has exclusive partnerships with these stadiums, providing a unique global network for students and alumni.

Currently GIS’s global hubs will only be accessible during each Global Sports Summit. In time, UCFB and GIS may look to increase accessibility through more educational events.

Visiting a Global Sports Summit at one of GIS’s global hubs will allow you to grasp a true understanding of how different sports are managed around the world by hearing first-hand from leading sports organisations, which will be locally tailored to each global hub location.

In addition to this, you will have the opportunity to further develop professional skills and gain a cultural awareness of another part of the world. International educational experiences have been shown to boost student prospects across a variety of areas, particularly:

• Increased average earnings;
• Increased employment rate;
• Increased overall grades.

In addition to all benefits listed for those visiting a GIS global hub, there is still a host of benefits that will arise from UCFB’s international expansion, including:

• Thought leadership from our global hub partners, accessible through UCFB’s Global Insight Series and the content hub of the UCFB website;
• Increased work experience and employment opportunities for current students and alumni, through increased international employer engagement;
• A more global alumni network.

Booking for this summit is now closed. If you have any queries please contact global@ucfb.com.

To allow students and alumni maximum flexibility, Summit attendees must book all travel arrangements independently which can be found above on this page, however if further information is required please contact Atlanta@ucfb.com and our team will be happy to help you with your travel plans.

GIS works closely with Fairway Travel, who have years of travel expertise. Their team will know all the travel requirements for the Atlanta Sports Summit once they have been confirmed and will be more than happy to help you book. Please contact Emma Coates at emma@fairway-travel.co.uk to find out more, once details of the event have gone live.

Accommodation for this opportunity will solely be booked by UCFB, and to book your place at the Summit you must book accommodation through UCFB. All attendees will be staying at the same hotel for the duration of the Summit.

Attendees will be free to make their own travel arrangements as they see fit, however are reminded that for the duration of the Summit their accommodation will be fixed as per the Summit schedule.

Attendees are expected to attend all sessions as part of the Summit. Whilst the Summit is ongoing, the focus of all UCFB and local staff will be on providing an excellent experience for those in attendance.

Yes – we know that attendees will want time to themselves to explore the area at their own leisure and this will be scheduled into the Summit agenda.

Some live sports games will be free of charge - these will be core activities that form a part of the Summit. 

We are busy working with sports organisations and individuals in the US to confirm the best possible experiences and speakers for the Summit. We will release details of speakers and experiences as they become confirmed in due course. A full and detailed schedule will be sent to all those travelling before we depart for Atlanta. As communicated, the Summit will contain a mix of guest speakers, learning opportunities, networking opportunities, live sport and behind the scenes access.

Yes. Please contact global@ucfb.com after completing the booking form to discuss this.

Attendees will need money for food, drink, city activities, and general spending. Atlanta is a vibrant city with a huge variety of options, however spending budgets depend on the individual.

UCFB will have a team in place on the ground in Atlanta to assist with inbound Summit attendees. Once you have booked your place at the Summit and booked your travel, UCFB will request your travel plans so that we can assist you with logistics on Day one when you arrive.

Summit attendees are responsible for ensuring they can travel to the US and to any countries in which they stop at as part of their journey to and from the Summit, along with any visa costs.

British nationals need to get a visa or an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) visa waiver to enter or transit the USA as a visitor. It costs 14 dollars to apply. 

If you do not qualify for entry under the ESTA, you’ll need to apply for a visa from the nearest US Embassy or Consulate.

Further information on US immigration rules is available from the UK Government website https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/usa/entry-requirements and USA Customs and Border Protection website.   

Summit attendees have full responsibility their entry requirements. If you are an international student or alumni, please contact your relevant embassy or government website to check your travel permissions and any steps you need to take to gain access to the US.

UCFB encourages all attendees to check their travel permissions and make their visa arrangements well in advance of the Summit in case of any visa processing delays.

Students are required to arrange their own travel insurance for this trip.

The feasibility of hosting our international Summits in-country is under constant review. Where travel is not possible due to COVID-19, the Global Sports Summits will be delivered virtually and made available for all UCFB and GIS students. We are committing to communicating a final decision on whether these events will go ahead in-person or virtually with a minimum of 2 months’ notice.